As most of us are preparing for the July 4th holiday weekend, some recent developments deserve mention.

First, Coastal Bend College officials are to be commended for achieving their long-awaited accreditation status from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

A SACS official notified the CBC administration by telephone of the results of the review more than a week ago, and the college should be receiving written notification this week.

“My immediate reaction was that I was pretty much ecstatic,” Board Chairman Carroll Lohse said, adding that the people at the college did a good job.

“We’re elated,” exclaimed CBC Board Vice Chairman Laura Fischer. “We knew the administration, staff and faculty had it (the SACS documentation process) under control. But it’s always good to have it confirmed by your regulatory agent.”

CBC President Dr. Beatriz Espinoza deserves a great deal of the credit.

Shortly after taking office, Dr. Espinoza discovered CBC was unprepared for the SACS review which occurs every decade and would have to scramble to meet the deadline.

The final document measured almost 1,600 pages; Espinoza authored most of it.

She also had to implement a series of necessary, but unpopular, belt-tightening measures, including numerous faculty layoffs and unrenewed contracts, to allow the college to bring its depleted reserves back to adequate levels over a three-year period.

We know this has been a difficult period for the CBC administrators, faculty and board, and hope this marks a turning point as the college regains its financial stability, increases enrollment and becomes more oriented to student success.

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On a company level, this also marks the first week of our new endeavor to produce three San Patricio County newspapers (in Sinton, Portland and Mathis) that we purchased last Friday.

This makes eight community papers covering seven counties in this growing region of South Texas. Although we at Beeville Publishing Co. have been producing hometown news coverage since 1892, this will be a first for us, printing three papers each week in one county while serving the communities of Sinton, Taft, Odem, Gregory, Portland and Mathis.

We are excited about the challenges and opportunities this acquisition presents and look forward to our future together.

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Again this year the Bee County Expo Center will be the best place around to spend the evening of July 4.

Our appreciation again to Angel Care Ambulance Service co-owners Gabriel Aleman and Mickie Ochoa, who are sponsoring the huge fireworks show for the third straight year.

“Angel Care employees will again be selling hot dogs, chips and drinks, and all proceeds will be for our Relay for Life team,” Aleman said.

So round up the family and friends and head out to the Expo Center after 6 p.m. Friday. Bring something comfortable on which to sit, a blanket or folding lawn chairs, then relax and marvel at the aerial display.

Take a few moments to celebrate life and enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted in this greatest country in the world.